BOWLING
The Beacon boys’ and girls’ bowling teams are off to a strong start, with each squad winning two of its first three matches.
The boys picked up a 5-0 victory on Tuesday (Dec. 13) over Marlboro in a match played at Fishkill Bowl. Anthony Borromeo led the Bulldogs with a 542 series.
Beacon also won, 5-0, on Dec. 8 over Franklin Roosevelt in a match played at Spins in Poughkeepsie. James Bouchard led the Bulldogs with a 524 series, Ayden Gileo had a 517 and Will Hockler finished with 516.
The boys finished 10-6 last season and qualified for sectionals, where they finished fourth among large schools in Section IX.
The team lost All-Section bowler Dan Gileo to graduation but returns juniors Hockler and Cameron Odell, along with freshmen Bouchard and Gileo. Borromeo, a junior, and freshman Michael Murtaugh join the team.
“The hope is to try to win our league first,” said Coach Brian Mahon. “The guys are pretty young — we have no seniors — so we’re fairly raw. But we have a lot of talent, and I think we can surprise some teams.”
The girls’ team also picked up a 5–0 victory on Tuesday over Marlboro, with Keira István, Cadence Heeter, Vanessa Campanelli, Elizabeth Ruffy and Nina Rivers leading the way.
In a loss on Dec. 8 to Franklin Roosevelt, the Bulldogs were led by István (342 series), Ari Carmona (322) and Heeter (282).
The girls finished last season at 7-9. The bulk of the team returned, led by juniors Heeter and Campanelli. Carmona, a senior, also returned, as did juniors István and Ruffy.
“We finished just shy of making the sectional tournament last year, so that’s the goal,” said Mahon, who coaches the boys and girls. “They can do it. We have a lot of tough matches, but all of the girls are showing improvement.”
Both teams are 2-1. They will host Kingston on Monday (Dec. 19) and travel to Highland the following day.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
After opening the season with wins over Marlboro and Blind Brook, Haldane dropped its third straight game on Tuesday (Dec. 13), coming up on the short end of a 50-46 decision at Byram Hills.
The Blue Devils also lost to a talented Valhalla team, 69-52, at home on Dec. 9.
Haldane led 13-10 after the first quarter against Byram Hills but managed just five points in the second and trailed 22-18 at halftime. Matteo Cervone led the Blue Devils with 18 points and eight rebounds, Ben Bozsik added 11 points and Will Bradley had eight.
Against Valhalla, the Blue Devils had their hands full with the bigger and quicker visitors.
The Eagles led 16-10 after one, but Haldane found a way to hang around and trailed by only one point at halftime and three points at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, the Eagles’ smothering defense resulted in turnovers and easy transition baskets. Valhalla opened with a 12-2 run in the first two minutes that put the Eagles up 54-41, and the lead ballooned to 17 with just under a minute left.
“I take some blame on our fast break,” said junior Matt Nachamkin. “I made some turnovers early, and we also struggled a bit on Wednesday [Dec. 7, in a loss to Tuckahoe]. We’ve got to take our time; we’re rushing things.
“But we’re a good team, and a close-knit group,” he said. “We showed a lot of moments where we were doing well, pushing up the court, and in our half-court offense. So hopefully we can continue that.”
Haldane (2-3) is scheduled to play at Pleasantville on Monday (Dec. 19) and at Chester on Dec. 29.
Beacon (1-0) is scheduled to host Liberty today (Dec. 16) at 5 p.m. and Port Jervis on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. before traveling to Goshen on Thursday.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Beacon picked up a 47-39 victory on Tuesday (Dec. 13) at James O’Neill behind 25 points from Reilly Landisi. Daveya Rodriguez added 10.
“That was a solid road win in an environment that is never easy to play in,” said Coach Christina Dahl. “Offensively, we moved the ball well and had good opportunities in transition to score. Reilly did a nice job playing with aggressiveness.
“Defensively, until the fourth, we held them to less than 10 points in each quarter,” she said. “We struggled boxing out and gave up more second chances than we would like. But it was nice to get back-to-back wins, and to see the girls playing with more camaraderie.”
Beacon also had a win on Dec. 8 in its home opener against Chester, 42-33. Rodriguez had nine points, Rayana Taylor and Landisi each contributed eight and Devyn Kelly scored seven.
“It’s good to get that first W under our belt,” Dahl said. “Defensively, we played well, with Rory LaDue leading the charge. On offense, we had a balanced attack, with five players scoring six points or more.”
Beacon (2-3) is scheduled to visit Newburgh on Monday (Dec. 19) and host Marlboro on Dec. 28.
Haldane picked up a 58-46 win — its first of the season — at Woodlands on Dec. 9, led by Betsy Cates, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Kayla Ruggiero added 14 points, Moretta Pezzullo had 10 and Mairead O’Hara scored eight in what Coach Ed Crowe called “a great team effort.”
Haldane (1-2) will host Westlake on Wednesday (Dec. 21) at 4:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Beacon dropped a 37-30 decision to Red Hook on Wednesday (Dec. 14) at home.
Jayden Calloway remains undefeated for the Bulldogs at 13-0, and Avery Davis (172 pounds), Jude Betancourt (138), Ronan Moran (118) and Will Flynn (110) all won by pin.
WINTER TRACK
At the Section IX Kickoff Meet on Dec. 10 at West Point, Beacon’s Damani Deloatch won the long jump (20-7) and the triple jump (43-8), while Henry Reinke was first in the 600 in 1:29 and Bella Migliore took fourth in the 600 in 1:51.
“Henry’s victorious 600 was a great start to the season coming off his trip to states in cross-country,” said Coach Jim Henry. “And I was very happy with Damani’s season-opener. He’s set up to be the best jumper in the region, and could be one of the top five in the state by the end of his junior season.”
FREE-THROW CONTEST
The Knights of Columbus will host its annual free-throw competition for boys and girls ages 9 to 14 on Jan. 14 at the Philipstown Recreation Center in Garrison.
The Philipstown contest is organized by Loretto Council No. 536. Age eligibility is determined by the entrant’s age as of Jan. 1, 2023, and a birth certificate or other proof of age must be provided, along with written parental consent. There is no cost.
An entry form can be downloaded at bit.ly/536-free-throw. For more information, call Dan Dillon at 845-265-3802.
